Key Aspects:
- Cruise Hive asked our readers what cruise trends need to stop in 2026.
- Unsupervised and unruly children, especially in hot tubs, were seen as the most annoying.
- Bad behavior related to chair hogging and poor hygiene also needs to be checked.
It’s officially a new year, and the cruise community is hoping that some guests will make resolutions to be better behaved onboard.
Cruise Hive asked our readers what cruise trends need to stop in 2026 and received nearly 1,000 comments on our Facebook, and some annoying behaviors are clearly despised more than others.
Unsupervised children running rampant unsurprisingly dominated the list of grievances, but complaints related to chair hogging and poor hygiene also came up frequently.
Out-Of-Control Children
Of all the trends to stop in 2026, unsupervised and unruly children came up the most.
Poolside behavior was a source of contention, with kids taking over hot tubs so adults couldn’t enjoy them, coming up as a sore spot for many.
“Def has to be kids in the hot tub. They just sit there forever. Go away, go get a ice cream,” one cruise fan said.
“It’s not even the sitting that’s the problem! It’s the swimming and splashing, and sometimes bringing food in there,” another replied to his comment.
Read Also: Tips for Going on Cruises With Kids
This also includes excessive splashing and jumping or diving into hot tubs or parts of the pool where this activity is not appropriate, or even dangerous.
Annoyance Extends Beyond the Pool Deck
Others complained that kids were disturbing the peaceful atmosphere in adult-only relaxation spaces, or ruining the vibe in specialty fine dining venues and the casino.
“Kids in adult areas, kids in hot tubs, and don’t walk through casinos! No brainer! Take kids on a Disney Cruise,” one cruiser asserted.
Finally, passengers want kids to stop seeing cruise ships as their personal playgrounds. They want behaviors like running in hallways, slamming doors, banging on walls and doors, and excessive screaming to stop, especially at night.
Parents Need to Step It Up
Many felt that the solution to these issues is some tough love for the parents, with some saying that parents don’t get a break from supervising their kids just because they are on a ship.
“Parents not parenting just because they’re on vacation,” was another trend that one cruiser said needed to stop.
One cruiser insisted: “Kids need to stay with THEIR parents!!!”
If parents do need a break, family-friendly cruise ships have kids’ clubs and teen clubs where their children can have fun without disturbing the peace.
Chair Hogging
The next top cruise trend that needs to stop, chair hogging, is annoying, whether the perpetrator is 9 years old or 99.
This is the act of reserving prime loungers or chairs on the pool deck, usually first thing in the morning, and keeping them for an extended period of time for your travel party, even when they aren’t actively needed.
“People putting towels on chairs to save them and not showing up for 4 more hours to use the chair,” one person complained.
Guests started calling for more policing from the crew members or setting time limits on reserving chairs, which brands like Carnival have already started to do by setting a 40-minute limit before belongings are removed from unoccupied chairs.
However, many feel that there is still not enough being done to enforce these rules, with some saying they simply remove towels or belongings themselves on occasion.
Poor Hygiene
Hygiene on cruise ships is often a source of controversy, especially when outbreaks are reported.
We are not even a full two weeks into the new year, and already a gastrointestinal outbreak was reported for a 12-night Panama Canal sailing onboard Holland America Line’s Rotterdam.
With this latest outbreak top-of-mind, people want a quick end to trends like guests not washing their hands before entering the buffet and people boarding cruises while sick and then coughing and sneezing without covering their mouths.
And coming back to kids, many felt that kids who can’t keep their hands to themselves helped to spread germs by touching lots of things in the buffets and other high-touch surfaces onboard.
More Annoyances
Of course, these aren’t the only trends that annoy cruisers. They were simply the top three.
More topics of controversy that came up included smoking onboard, a sentiment that cruise lines are nickel-and-diming guests, hunting for cruising ducks, and not following dress codes, among other behavioral annoyances.
Hopefully in 2026 cruisers can remember to practice good onboard etiquette and show consideration for the enjoyment of their fellow passengers.
